Upon meeting
by fanatic3
Summary: Remember how Kenshin managed to convince Soujirou what he was doing was wrong, then Soujirou left to find the answers to his heart? What happens when he comes back? *complete* I'l be uploading the sequel soon...
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't RK, neither do I own the characters in the anime or manga.  
  
A/N: Soujirou and Kenji fic… For the benefit for those who don't know who Kenji is, he's Kenshin's and Kaoru's son. This fic is written under the pressure of my good friend, spas. Thanks to her, I was able to finish it.  
  
~~  
  
" Kenji, hurry up! Kenshin! I'm bringing Kenji along with me to the shops. This way you can get the laundry done. Kenji! Let's go NOW!"  
  
Kaoru was hot and frustrated.  
  
Kenji appeared around the corner, holding a bar of soap in his hands, running. Kenshin followed closely behind, trying to retrieve the soap.  
  
Kaoru was exasperated.  
  
"Kenshin, can't you even catch a nine-year old boy?"  
  
"Oro....??"  
  
Kenji grabbed the chance to run to his mother as his father looked up.  
  
Kaoru gathered Kenji in her arms and returned the soap to her husband.  
  
"Let's go Kenji." She sent him down, took his hand and walked out of the gate.  
  
~~  
  
Soujirou Seta walked down the familiar path, leading to Tokyo.  
  
"Should I visit Himura-san? It's been ten years. But I shouldn't drop in uninvited. Besides, I might not be welcomed. I'll find something to eat first."  
  
With that, he walked into the bustling city.  
  
~~  
  
Kaoru and Kenji walked along the river and headed for the city.  
  
As they entered the crowded place, Kaoru made to carry Kenji to prevent him from getting lost. He resisted strongly, refusing to be treated like a baby. Kaoru gave up and let him be.  
  
Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere and grabbed Kenji. Kaoru was too shocked to move. A shopkeeper who had been chasing the guy came forward but stopped when the "kidnapper" pulled out a knife and held it at Kenji's throat.  
  
Tears welled up in Kaoru's eyes as she watched Kenji struggling to escape. Watching her own son being held hostage was too much for her. She looked around for help, but no one dared to move.  
  
"Sorry ma'am. That drunkard ran out of my shop without paying for his food. I gave chase, naturally, but never expected this to happen... I'm terribly sorry." The shopkeeper explained helplessly.  
  
Kaoru wasn't listening. She was afraid that if she did anything rash, Kenji would be harmed, but if she didn't do anything fast, Kenji might still be hurt.  
  
~~  
  
Soujirou heard a commotion at another lane nearby. He rushed to the scene but his view was blocked and couldn't see what was happening. Asking around, he found out that a young boy was held hostage and no one was doing anything.  
  
He squeezed to the front of the crowd. Then,  
  
"Himura-san?!"  
  
Soujirou was stunned. This person looked exactly like Kenshin!  
  
"No, wait. He's lacking some important things. There is no cross scar on his left cheek. This person is too short in stature. Himura-san's sword is missing also. This boy is too young to be Battousai. But he looks amazingly like Himura-san. Is he his son?"  
  
Pushing the thought out of his mind, Soujirou was quick to realise that the drunkard did not have a strong grip on the boy. Acting quickly, he approached the man from his back, knocked the child out of his hands and hit him once more, rendering him unconscious.  
  
~~  
  
Kaoru was overwhelmed. She rushed forward and scooped the crying Kenji into her arms. Turning to the young stranger who had just rescued Kenji, she thanked him profusely.  
  
~~  
  
The police came shortly and captured the trouble maker and the crowd dispersed. Soujirou was still pondering over the resemblance the boy had with Kenshin. The only possible reason he could think of was the boy being Kenshin's son. If that was the case, then the lady thanking him must be Kenshin's wife, Kamiya Kaoru.  
  
He explained to the lady that he was just a wanderer and happened to past by the area and see the commotion.  
  
~~  
  
Kaoru was reminded of Kenshin's past when the stranger mentioned being a wanderer. Feeling a rush of gratitude and familiarity towards the boy, she invited him back for lunch.  
  
~~  
  
Soujirou accepted the offer to go back to the lady's house for lunch. He was very curious to see whether the little boy was really Kenshin's son. As he followed them back, he took in the surroundings he had not seen for past ten years.  
  
~~  
  
Kaoru walked through the gates and shouted.  
  
"Tadaima!"  
  
Kaoru expected Kenshin to appear and welcome her back, but instead, Yahiko came in his place.  
  
"Yahiko! When did you come back?"  
  
"Just. Where's Kenshin?"  
  
(Flashback to a few minutes ago: Sano drags a very reluctant Kenshin along to play dice, hoping the rurouni would give him some luck.)  
  
"I have no idea. Looks like he left hurriedly without a note."  
  
~~  
  
Soujirou was quick to realise that he was standing in the Kamiya Dojo. So this lady was Kamiya Kaoru. Then that little boy had to be Kenshin's son.  
  
He suddenly felt a surge of panic. These people might not like him to be in the house. After all, he had worked for Shishio Makoto and had a very fierce fight with Kenshin. They didn't know his identity now, if they did, would they welcome him?  
  
Soujirou hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should leave. But then, Kaoru came over, grabbed him by his shoulders, and pushed him into the house forcefully.  
  
~~  
  
After settling the young boy in the hall, Kaoru noticed he looked very uneasy and uncomfortable. Assuming that he was uncomfortable being in a stranger's house, she sought to ease him by introducing herself.  
  
"I am Kamiya Kaoru. I own this dojo. I am very thankful that you saved my son, Kenji, just now from that drunkard. My husband was also a wanderer, he has settled down now. I thought you would like to meet him, though I don't know where he is right now. I'm sure he'll be back soon. So stay for lunch. This is to thank you for the incident just now. Oh, this is my oldest disciple, Yahiko Myoujin."  
  
She added the last line when Yahiko joined them in the room after making sure Kenji was having his afternoon nap.  
  
~~  
  
Soujirou digested all the information. So he had been correct.  
  
To clear all doubts, he asked, "Is your husband, by any chance, Himura Kenshin?"  
  
Soujirou feared the truth. When Kaoru nodded excitedly, his heart sank. Waves of panic started to engulf him. Truth would be the best option now. Kaoru would not let him leave without meeting Kenshin first.  
  
"I... I... I'm... I'm Soujirou. Seta Soujirou."  
  
He noted their first confused, then disbelieving expressions.  
  
" Yes, I'm the Soujirou who worked for Shishio, the one in the Juppon Gutana. I'm sorry for my intrusion. I'll leave now."  
  
He stood up, bowed respectably and walked away. When he was halfway across the courtyard, Yahiko shouted angrily at him.  
  
"Nobody said you can go! You are a murderer. You killed Sir Okubo and helped Shishio kill even more!"  
  
Soujirou was even more saddened by his past at this reminder. Though he had tried hard to make amends, just like Kenshin, guilt still haunted him.  
  
Yahiko then unsheathed a seemingly familiar sword.  
  
"Himura-san's?"  
  
Yahiko nodded curtly and motioned Soujirou to draw his sword, indicating that he wanted to fight.  
  
Soujirou shook his head and retreated. He did not want to fight anymore.  
  
Yahiko's rage was building up and he soon let that accumulated anger fuel his attack, not caring whether Soujirou was ready. After years of training and practicing, he had improved a lot, in terms of agility, power and stamina.  
  
Kaoru's disciples, who had been training in the dojo with Yutaro, heard Yahiko's shout and gathered around to watch. When Kaoru attempted to stop the fight, they stopped her, in fear of her getting injured.  
  
The match was very much a one-sided one. Yahiko was doing all the attacking while Soujirou resorted to agile dodging. His skills and speed had not forsaken him, not even after ten years of wandering.  
  
The range of the fight started to expand slowly as Yahiko, frustrated that he was not able to come in contact with Soujirou, began to attack with more vigor. Soujirou was then forced to use his sword to defend himself.  
  
Yahiko was using Kaoru's skill to fight. Since he had been training and using the skill for so long, he had mastered the skill already. This made him too confident in his strikes, causing a lack in power. Besides, Kamiya Kasshin Ryu was not a set of skills designed to kill. Despite of this, Yahiko's strokes were powerful enough to injure badly. Seeing Soujirou draw his sword, Yahiko knew it meant that he was pushing Soujirou to his limit. If Soujirou was pressured too much, he just might start attacking. Then it would become a real fight.  
  
Soujirou was fully aware that Yahiko was using Himura-san's sakabatou and that it could not slash anybody. But once turned over, the sword would transform into a lethal weapon. He was trying to decide whether to counter attack or not. Not attacking back might cause Yahiko to become more frustrated and use the sharp edge of the sword. If he just defended himself, he could still hold out for some time. Soujirou hoped Kenshin would get back soon. He was the only who would be able to stop this fight.  
  
Kaoru was thinking the exact same thing.  
  
"Where's Kenshin when I need him?"  
  
She sent two of her students to make sure that Kenji was in his bedroom, hopefully still sleeping. Then she sent Yutaro to look for Kenshin. Watching upon the raging battle, she hoped no one got hurt.  
  
~~  
  
Yutaro ran aimlessly on the streets, without an idea where to find Kenshin. When he stopped to catch his breath, he thought about the serious situation.  
  
Yahiko had always been rash, he knew that. But he was challenging a professional killer that even Kenshin had a problem dealing with. Not that he thought Yahiko was lousy but he believed the gap between their skills were much too big. He feared for Yahiko's safety. Suddenly, an idea struck his mind. He decided to enlist the help of Sanosuke Sagara.  
  
As Yutaro was reaching Sano's house, he saw the ex-gangster walking away with Kenshin. He yelled for them to stop and explained the situation briefly. Kenshin immediately asked Sano to take care of Yutaro and rushed back to the house.  
  
Kenshin rounded the last corner and stood at the gates just in time to see Yahiko slam Soujirou on the ground with a powerful swipe from his sakabatou. Then Yahiko turned the sword over and got ready to deliver the fatal, last blow. Kenshin ran and stood in front of a frozen Soujirou to protect him from the strike.  
  
~~  
  
A/N: Cliffhanger!!!  
  
Glossary  
  
Sakabatou – Kenshin's reversed edged sword. It was given to Yahiko in the end in the manga. 


	2. Sakabatou

Disclaimer: I don't own RK, neither do I own the characters in the anime or manga.  
  
~~  
  
Yutaro arrived only in time to see Kenshin rush in between Yahiko and Soujirou and receive Yahiko's blow. On the sharp side of the sword.  
  
Blood splattered everywhere. Time seemed to stop as everybody stood frozen in shock. Kenshin collapsed onto his knees, blood dripping and pooling rapidly around him. Yahiko was the first to react. He flung the sword on the ground and knelt down beside Kenshin, so did Soujirou. Kaoru screamed in shock and ran to Kenshin's side too. Sano and Yutaro needed no prompting. Together, they set off to fetch Megumi.  
  
"Kenshin! Why did you save this murderer? I was going to kill him. People died because of him you know. But you..."  
  
Yahiko stopped talking at the warning look on Kenshin's face. Wincing in pain, Kenshin turned his head and greeted Soujirou as if nothing happened. Then, he collapsed once more, this time, lying on the ground.  
  
Soujirou was shaking his head in disbelief. All these problems were caused by of him. Newly found guilt added to those he was not able to ease in the past ten years.  
  
Megumi arrived shortly and set to work. Kenshin had been slashed from his left shoulder to mid torso. The  cut was deep and Kenshin had already lost a fare amount of blood.  
  
Sano gathered the other students and herded them back into the dojo. Yutaro went to make sure Kenji was still in his room. The crowd shrunk to only Megumi, Kaoru, Yahiko and Soujirou. All gathered around Kenshin, hoping for the best.  
  
~~  
  
After one and a half hours, Kenshin's condition was stable.  
  
Yahiko was relieved. For the past one hour, he had been thinking, and he knew if Kenshin hadn't stopped him, Soujirou might have been killed. Yahiko knew he didn't really want to kill. Blaming all the consequences on his own rashness, he ran out of the gates, too ashamed to even see Soujirou.  
  
Soujirou, who had been blaming himself also, apologised repeatedly. When Yahiko ran out, he followed.  
  
~~  
  
Yahiko ran to the river where Kenshin had left Kaoru crying. He had said goodbye to her and went to Kyoto to fight Shishio. He stopped at the edge to reflected on what happened. Then, sensing that someone was behind him, he turned and saw Soujirou.  
  
"What do you want?" Yahiko wasn't ready to forgive Soujirou.  
  
Soujirou sat down on the edge and told Yahiko to do the same. Amazingly, Yahiko did as he was told. Both sat quietly for a moment, not talking, just thinking.  
  
"I have been wondering for many years, just like Himura-san and realised many things. I used to go by the saying, "Survival of the fittest", it seemed ethical and true at that time, when I refused to think of things in another perspective. Now, my believes have changed. Yes, the fit survives, but they are not the only ones. The weak can live too, with the help of the fit. Himura-san was a slasher. Now he has given up killing and uses his sword to help other people instead. He is one good example of my new belief. Ten years ago, I fought him and he made me realise what he was saying made sense. I left Shishio-sama's side and have not regretted that decision. About today's incident, it's my fault. Not yours. Anyone would have wanted revenge....  
  
"I'm not just anyone or somebody. I'm Yahiko Myoujin, a proud samurai. Who said I was guilty for wanting to fight and kill you? All I'm blaming myself for is not reacting fast enough to see Kenshin in front my me. He actually saved you. He's still as naïve as ever."  
  
Soujirou was not offended. He knew it was hard for someone to change almost immediately. That was his case. Then, he opened his mouth to speak again.  
  
"Himura-san won't have wanted you to kill. Especially with his sakabatou. The one he had used to protect and help others. The sword which have yet to take any lives."  
  
Yahiko's eyes widened at that fact. He knew it. He just didn't want to face it.  
  
"Let's go back. Himura-san and Kamiya-donno would be worried."  
  
Soujirou stood up and walked off, trusting Yahiko to follow.  
  
He did.  
  
~~  
  
"Tadaima..." Yahiko muttered dejectedly as he stepped through the gates.  
  
Kaoru pounced on him and looked him all over, fussing over him.  
  
"He's okay."  
  
Soujirou hadn't walked through the gates. He was worried that Kaoru didn't want to see him. Kenshin came over and invited Soujirou for tea. Kaoru didn't object and nodded energetically instead.  
  
Soujirou wasn't about to accept the invitation. After all, he had caused chaos within them. But Yahiko added another line, his invitation to Soujirou for tea, a peace offering. Soujirou agreed immediately.  
  
~~  
  
"You have been wondering for ten years, are you going to continue? It seems like you have found what you wanted."  
  
Kenshin had been extremely happy to see Soujirou change for the better. Now that he had succeeded in finding peace in himself, Kenshin hoped Soujirou could settle down to put his new belief into use.  
  
Just then, Kenji wondered into the room. He had just woke up from his nap and the red hair he inherited from his father was tousled.  
  
"Who's our guest? OH!"  
  
Kenji recognised Soujirou immediately.  
  
"Otou-san!! That's the guy who saved me this morning. The guy who saved me! That's him! That's him! There! Sitting there! HIMMMMMM!!!!!!!"  
  
Kenji was so excited that he started bouncing up and down in front of his father. Kenshin, who had not bee told of the incident, followed the movement of his son with his eyes for a while. Then he turned to Kaoru.  
  
"Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
Kenshin looked stern but she could tell he was amused by Kenji's reaction on seeing his "savior".  
  
Briefly, Kaoru explained the situation, with Kenji's many shouts of "yEah!"* when she described how Soujirou helped.  
  
(A/N: Kenji is now skipping around a very amused Soujirou. However Soujirou's habit of keeping a placid expression on his face has yet to change. So imagine a chibi Kenshin aka Kenji skipping around a Soujirou who doesn't seem to acknowledge his presence.)  
  
Kenshin was very thankful. Had Soujirou not been there, Kenji would have been harmed. After thanking Soujirou many times, he turned to Yahiko, producing the sakabatou that Yahiko had left on the ground.  
  
Before Kenshin could speak, Yahiko nodded and spoke first.  
  
"I know Kenshin. Soujirou told me already. I understand that I have my rashness to blame. It's okay. I know my mistake. Please, take the sword back. I do not have the right to own it. Give it to someone who would put it to better use."  
  
Kenshin's expression did not falter. It seemed as if he expected what Yahiko would say.  
  
"Yahiko, by saying that, you have proved yourself worthy of my sakabatou."  
  
(A/N: Kenji is now sitting on Soujirou's laps. He had been shouting "Nii- chan" over and over again until Kaoru silenced him with a very stern look when Yahiko started talking.)  
  
Kenshin returned Yahiko the sakabatou and changed the subject. The friendly air returned to the conversation.  
  
Halfway through, Yahiko suddenly perked up and came up with an amazing suggestion which stunned the whole group.  
  
"This family can still hold another member. Though it will become the only family with great fighters... that is except for busu... (receives knocks on the head by Kaoru). Why don't you stay, Soujirou? I know we will all agree, even Sano and Kenji would really love that.  
  
Kenji, who had stayed very quiet, started his "yEah!"s again. All looked at Soujirou expectedly.  
  
Sano, who had heard the last part of the conversation, entered the room suddenly and voiced his agreements.  
  
"If you people really don't mind (nods from everybody), then I guess I'll stay."  
  
Cheers erupted.  
  
And so, Soujirou finally found peace in his heart and a family forever.  
  
~End~  
  
A/N: Tadaaaaaaa…… Finished…. There'll probably be a sequel… but it might have to wait. I got other fics to complete first.  
  
*: "yEah" is also contributed by spas. It was one of her favourite phrases. WAS.  
  
Glossary  
  
Sakabatou – Kenshin's reversed edged sword. It was given to Yahiko in the end in the manga.  
  
Tadaima – "I'm home" 


End file.
